Air-valve structure



L. T. EARNHEART.

AIR VALVE STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION man Aue.2s. 1919.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES.

LUGIEN T.

PATENT OFFICE.

EARNHEART, O F SAUNEMIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SAFETY FIRST I .DEVICES.COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

AIR-VALVE STRUCTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LLUoInN T. EARNHEART, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Saunemin, county of Livingston, and State of Illinois,have invented acertain new and useful Air-Valve Structure; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in. whichlike numerals refer to like parts.

The invention herein set forth, relating to a pressure indicating airvalve, is an improved construction over that shown in Letters Patent toChauncey B. Earnheart No. 1,305,265 and No. 1,305,266.

One feature of the invention herein consists in providing a lower vavefor positively closing the outlet from the tire, after it has beeninflated, making the construction such that said valve will be closed bythe operation of the collar or other means forscrewmg down andtlghtening the gage member, said valve being mounted on a long stemguided by the means below the valve and loosely mounted adjacent to thelower end of the gage member so that the valve will move by the movementof the gage member.

Another feature of the invention consists in combining with theforegoing a rubber tube connecting the lower inner end of the gagemember with the inner end of the valve structure and surrounding thestem by. a wire spring connected at one end of the gage member and tothe other end of the lower part of the valve structure for yieldinglyresisting the outer movement of the gage member andproviding spiralgrooves in the casing for guiding the reciprocating movement of the gagemember and valve for the torsional movement of the wire spring.

The full nature of this invention will be understood from the followingdescription and claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a central vertical section through theentire valve structure omitting the cap. Fig. 2 is a similar view partlyin section. and partly in elevation, showing the gage member movedoutwardly as compared to its position in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a-sectlon onthe line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a portion of the valve casing. Fig 6 isa section on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

There is shown in the drawings a short valve stem 10 with a simple freeair passage 11 therethrough and with ajflange 12 on the lower end,whereby it is secured to the pneu-' matic tire, whi ch is not shown.There is an outer casing 13 which is internally threaded at its lowerend where it screws on the valve stem 10. This casing is externallythreaded, not shown, like the usual valve stems of other constructionsfor receiving the usual dust cap also not shown. The outer end of thecasmg 13 ls'externally reduced in diameter and threaded at 14 to receivethe collar 15 which screws or slips thereon for the purpose herelnafterexplained.

The outer end of the short valve stem 10 is reduced somewhat indiameter, but not externally threaded. Over the reduced end of the stem10 the spring holder 17 fits, the

external surface of which is hexagonal and v air tight tube 20, thelower end of which projects into the spring holder 17 surrounding theconical and large portion 21 of the tubular metal union 22, which formsa conneetion between said flexible tube and the valve stem 10. The lowerend of the union projects into a suitable seat formed in the upper pbeyond the conical enlargement 21 and forms a gasket or washer by.extendin inwardly beneath the reduced lower end 0 the union 22 and abovethe reduced upper portion of -the stem lO between which it is clamped.The spring holder 17 has a complementarily formed conical tubularenlargement in its inner surface to receive theconical enlargement 21 ofthe union 22 and the flexible tube 20. Therefore, when the casing 13 isscrewed down on the valve stem 10, it forces the art of the valve stem.The lower I end of the flexible tube extends downwardly place, as shownin the conical inner wall of the spring holder 17 down on theflexibletube 22 and makes an air tight joint.

Around the a per end of the rubber tube 20 there is anotlier springholder 25 which is vertically movable in the casing 13. .'It has a lowerreduced portion to which the upper end of the sprin 19 is secured. Theupper end of the spring holder 25 is internally threaded to receive thelower externally threaded end 26 of the tubular gage member 27. There isan upper metal tubular union 22 similar to the union 22 at the lower endof the structure for securing the u per end of the flexible tube 20 inplace wit an air tight connection as described. The gage member 27 issubject to the direct pressure of the air in the neumatic tire whilebein charged, and suc air pressure is indicate by graduations andnumerals on said gage member 27, as seen in Fi 2, as they appear abovethe upper end of t e casing 13, when the collar 15 is released fromcasing 13. The member 27 also carries a check valve 28 which is of theusual type.

The gage member 27 is threaded at its upper end to receive the nipple ofthe hose for inflation. There is an annular'groove 30 in said member 27being reduced in diameter, just above the graduations to receive theinturned flange 31 of the collar 15. Below said flange 31 there is aninternal threaded portlon 32 which is adapted to screw on the upperthreaded end of the member 27. When the collar 15 is being put in place,the flange 31 does not extend inwardly, as shown, but is concentric withthe threaded upper end of the gage member, and projects in alinementwith the body of the collar, so that the collar can be screwed or sliped on and over the threaded portions of the member 27 down to itsposition shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The flange 31 is then bent inward bymechanical means so as to project into the groove 30 and hug the reducedportion of the member 27 and prevent theescape or removal of the collar15 therefrom. Said collar, therefore, is fixed in its location on themember 27 so it canmove neither up nor down, but can turn thereon. Whenit is desired to inflate the tire or ascertain the air pressure in thetire, the collar 15 is unscrewedfrom the upper end of the casing 13, asseen in Fig. 2. After the tire is inflated it is screwed down in 1. IThe lower end of t e gage member 27 has an enlarged recess 34' at thelower end of assageway 35 therethrough and into whi ii the upper reducedportion of the upper union 22 projects. In this chamber 34 a skeletonhead 36 loosely fits and said head is secured on the valve stem 37 thatcarries the shut-ofi lower valve 38 and extends down through the lowerunion 22 for some 7 37 own and close the valve 38, as shown in Fig. 1.This will hermetically seal the valve revent the escapev structurepositively and of air from the tire. en it is desired to inflate thetire, the collar 15 is unscrewed'to the position shown in Fig. 2, whichlifts the gage member 27 and carries with it the valve stem 37 whichopens the lower valve 38.

The spring 19 has a tendencyztoward a torsional movement when it isexpanded by the air pressure as seen in Fig. 2 and to accommodate. thevalve structure to that occasion or condition, the valve casin 13 has apair of oppositely located longitu inal grooves 40 in the inner surfacethereof arranged in a slightly. oblique or spiral form, as shown in F1g. 5 and 1nto these grooves fins 41 from the gage member 27 project andprevent said member from'undue turning in the casing 13. 'The spiralgrooves 40 extend to the base but do not extend entirely through theupperend of the casing 13 so that the gage member cannot be removed fromthe casing outwardl The opening through the upper union 22, it isobserved, is made large enough to permit the insertion or removalthrough it of the valve 38 in assembling the device. The skeleton head34 does not obstruct the free passage of air from or to the passage 35in the gage member 27.

The invention claimed is: 1. In a valve structure having a valve seatnear the innerend of the-structure, a valve engaging said seat andclosing the air passageway through the structure, a reciprocab e gagemember with an air passageway therethrough and with the inner endprovided with an enlarged chamber, a skeleton connection upon said valveand secured in said ga e member chamber, whereby the valve will e openedandclosed by the gage member and permit the free flow of airtherethrough, and an elastic air tight connection between the inner endof the gage member and surrounding the passageway therein and theenlarged chamber and the lower part of the valve structure "for forminga part of the air passageway to insure the free axial flow of airthrough the communicating passageways of said air valve structure.

2. In a valve structure having a valve seat near the lower and inner endof the valve structure, a valve engagin' saidseat and closing the airpassageway t rough the structure, a valve stem on' whlch said valve issecured which extends upwardly through the air passageway, areciprocable ga e member adapted to be forced outward by the back' airpressure to indicate the degree of such air pressure and having an airpassageway therethrough with the inner end providedwith an enlargedchamber, elastic tubular means connecting said gage member and saidvalve structure, said tubular means being arranged so that there will bea free air passageway through said elastic connection in alinement withthe air passageways through the gage member and the lower part of thevalve structure, and a skeleton connection upon said valve stem seatablysecured in the enlarged chamber and inner end of the gage member whichenables th latter to operate the valve and permits the free flow of'airthrough the communicating passa eways of the air valve structure.

3. in air valve structure including a casing having spirally disposedlongitudinal grooves therein, a gage member slidable therein having finsprojecting into said grooves, and a spiral spring secured to the innerend of the gage member'and to the inner part of the structure tending toresist the outward movement of the gage member, whereby said grooveswill cause the gage member in its movement to allow for the torsionalmovement of the spring.

4. An air valve structure including a casing, a valve for closing thepassageway through the inner end of the valve structure, -a valve stemon which the valve is mounted, a gage member slidable in said casinghaving an air passage therethrough and with the inner end provided withan enlarged chamber, a flexible tube connecting the inner end of saidgage member to the inner end of the valve structure, a tubular union forsecuring the outer end of the tube to the gage member, and a skeletonhead on the upper end of said valve stem which lies in saidchamher andwhich is of greater diameter than the opening in said union,

whereby the movement of the gage member valve.

5. In a valve structure having a valve seat near the inner end of thestructure, a valve engaging said seat and closing the air passagewaythrough said structure, a reciprocable gage member with an airpassageway therethrough, means connecting said valve and said gagemember whereby the latter may open and close said valve, elasticmeansfor connecting the inner end of said gage member with the lowerpart of the valve structure for substituting for and forming a part ofsaid air passageway, and radially projecting fins on said gage memberadapted to engage correspondlngly-shaped torsion grooves in said valvestructure for preventing said gage member from turning therein otherthan the movement allowed for torsion when said member is reciprocated.

6. A valve structure having a valve seat near the inner end of thestructure, said structure having a longitudinally extending grooveterminating near the top thereof, a valve engaging said seatand closingthe air passage through the structure, a reciprocable gage member withan air passageway therethrough, an elastic connection forming a part ofsaid air passageway between the inner end of the gage member and thelower part of the valve structure, and a projection on said gage memberadapted to extend 1nto said groove for preventing said gage member fromturning therein a greater amount than necessary to compensate for thetorsional movement of said, elastic connection means and for preventingsaid gage member from leaving the structure.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my si nature.

UCIEN T. EARNHEART,

will cause a corresponding movement of the

